Aurora Borealis in Vestland
Norway · 60.34°, 5.32° · geomagnetic 60.9° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Vestland
41%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Vestland needs Kp 5, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. That is on the threshold rather than over it, so cloud and moonlight will decide the night.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Vestland
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 41%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Vestland needs: Sunday 2 Aug, at Kp 5.7. The 23 nights past the seven-day window move with the 27-day solar rotation and are updated daily in the app.
Nights 8–30 unlock in the Revon app
See all 30 nights for Vestland
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Vestland
20.6 nights a year, averaged across 10.0 years of records
| Storm level | Nights / year |
|---|---|
| Kp 4 | 83.4 |
| Kp 5 | 28.7 |
| Kp 6 | 9.3 |
| Kp 7 | 3.2 |
| Kp 8 | 1.2 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
Worth watching through the dark half of the year
Kp 5 is a moderate storm — not an everyday event, but common enough that a patient observer in Vestland sees the aurora borealis most winters.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.1 | 10.2 | 7.6 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.2 | 9.4 | 11.6 | 12.6 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from May to August
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Vestland horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
With 353,711 people around you, the sky over central Vestland is Bortle 7. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 18 km north-north-west — around Bergen → Bortle 5
- 20 km north-north-east — around Osterøy → Bortle 4
Falchi 2016 World Atlas (DOI: 10.5880/GFZ.1.4.2016.001)
The months that actually deliver
Counting only nights that were both stormy enough and dark enough, September, March and October came out ahead in Vestland. That is storm season and darkness overlapping — the equinoxes tend to be geomagnetically active, and the nights are already long by then.
Darkest nights of the coming year
A bright moon washes out a weak display as effectively as street lighting. These new moons fall inside the Vestland viewing season.
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
- 08 Mar 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Inverness, 633 km west-south-west in United Kingdom.
| Vestland | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 20.6 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 60.9° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
10 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Vestland between 2015-01-01 and 2016-12-31. Rare is not the same as impossible.
Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Where the horizon opens up near Vestland
The display sits low on the northern horizon, so what beats a better forecast is open ground facing that way. Height gets you above the town glow; water gives you an unbroken skyline. These are within a short drive of Vestland.
- Nordåsen — hill3.0 km north-north-west
- Hermannshaugen — hill3.1 km north-north-west
- Ramnefjellet — mountain3.5 km north
- Solheimsvatnet — lake3.7 km north-north-east
- Gjeddevatnet — lake3.7 km west
- Strandafjellet — mountain3.7 km north
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
What to do with the daylight
Aurora watching is a night job, and in winter that leaves a short, bright day to fill. Vestland keeps its fortified past above ground, at Bergenhus festning and Bergenhus, and for a day when the cloud sits low, University Museum of Bergen, Trollhaugen and Siljustøl Museum are indoors and near by.
Keep the daylight loose: the sky decides the evening, and the forecast can turn within a few hours.
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Staying central in Vestland is fine for everything except the aurora itself — you will still need to drive out. If seeing it matters more than convenience, base yourself on the edge of town facing your dark spot.
- Fjord Visjon 4.7 km from the centre
- Hotel Park Pension 5.3 km from the centre
- Steens Hotel 5.3 km from the centre
- Bergen Travel Hotel 5.4 km from the centre
- Scandic Ornen 5.5 km from the centre
- Scandic Byparken 5.7 km from the centre
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — confirm before booking
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Vestland and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-24 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-23 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-22 | Kp 6.67 |
| 2026-03-21 | Kp 6.0 |
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across Vestland
All 3 places in Vestland with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Vestland forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Vestland
Can you see the aurora borealis from Vestland?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Vestland had about 20.6 nights a year when the storm was strong enough and the sky dark enough at the same time.
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora borealis in Vestland?
Kp 5. Vestland sits at geomagnetic latitude 60.9°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 5. Storms that size occur about 28.7 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Vestland?
September, March and October. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness. From May to August the sky over Vestland never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Vestland?
The centre of Vestland reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 20 km north-north-east around Osterøy. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Vestland with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 633 km west-south-west. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 20.6 in Vestland.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Vestland.
- 🇳🇴 Haugesund - Norway103 km
- 🇳🇴 Stavanger - Norway154 km
- 🇳🇴 Sandnes - Norway167 km
- 🇳🇴 Ålesund - Norway241 km
- 🇳🇴 Kongsberg - Norway252 km
- 🇳🇴 Skien - Norway271 km
- 🇳🇴 Porsgrunn - Norway277 km
- 🇳🇴 Drammen - Norway279 km